Prosecutors requested the injunction after authorities arrested dozens of Mongols under a racketeering indictment. He said their communication was for public safety and showed the Mongols that there is ATF presence at their events. Thanks for contacting us. Mongols Motorcycle Club Says Its Leader Was an Informant, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/05/us/mongols-new-trial.html. A jury sided with the prosecution in 2019 and ordered the group to give up the emblem, but Judge David O. Carter rejected the verdict as an infringement on the clubs constitutional rights. They are really these gangs of thugs that terrorize.. The Mongols, who feared that losing the rights to their logo a brawny Genghis Khan-like man sporting a queue and sunglasses and riding a chopper while brandishing a sword would have severe consequences, hailed the ruling as not just a victory for the group, but for other biker clubs that law enforcement authorities have tried to take down. [37], In 2016 the last Mongols chapter in Bremen closed.[38]. Trial Attorney Matthew P. Mattis of the Justice Departments Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S. She also said in a text message to other Mongols, now filed with the court, that her husband had acted for a time as a confidential government informant. Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years for the drug offense and seven years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. As reported by NBC News, prosecutors had been attempting to take down the Mongols for over a decade, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Welk saying members were "empowered by these symbols that they wear like armor." Theyre sending a message when they do that, he said. [1] Law enforcement officials estimate approximately 2,000 full-patched members are in the club. The Vietnam vets that made up the majority of its ranks quickly turned the Mongols from a ragtag collection of riders into a tightly organized unit run with the same regimented nature and discipline theyd experienced in Vietnam. Come over and get in the know with everything happening in the Biker Scene. Dave repeated, "Nicely. A spokesman for the United States attorneys office for the Central District of California, Thom Mrozek, said in a statement that prosecutors were disappointed by the decision and that they believed Judge Carter was required by law to issue the forfeiture order that the government had requested. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), the Clarksville Police Department, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, and the Kentucky State Police investigated the case. Mr. Santillan walking into a federal courthouse in Santa Ana, Calif., during the 2018 racketeering trial against the Mongols. A veteran federal agent who spent years undercover after infiltrating the notorious Mongols Motorcycle Club offered his first-hand account Thursday of a secretive culture of violence and . "I wanted him to feel kind of what I was feeling, the shame and embarrassment and betrayal. When Ling replied, "People have fought and died for the patches," Dave confirmed her statement (per YouTube). The Mongols Motorcycle Club was founded in 1969 in Montebello, CA by a brotherhood of Latinx men who had been excluded from the Hells Angels. Both Mr. Santillan, a Mongols member for almost 25 years who was voted out of the club in July, and the agent, John Ciccone, who retired in December after 32 years at the A.T.F., deny that Mr. Santillan was acting as an informant during the trial, though Mr. Ciccones sworn declaration does not address whether Mr. Santillan had acted as a confidential informant in the past. The Mongols are now claiming that throughout their attempt to defend the club in the long-running criminal case, their own leader was secretly talking to the government. In 1948, the Hells Angels was formed. In the late 1960s, a group of returning servicemen from the Vietnam War tried to get into the Hells Angels. ; kidnapping of Stephen Cole in aid of racketeering; and the murder of Stephen Cole in aid of racketeering. There is no way hes gotten away with these incidents without more significant legal repercussions unless someone in law enforcement is in the background greasing the slides for him, Mr. Yanny said. Initially, it served as A maker of radio components; however, in the 1930s, the firm opened up A new factory in, Read More A Closer Look at The 2014 Ducati 1199 / 1299 PanigaleContinue, The Harley Davidson V-Rod was unquestionably one of the most special motorcycles ever produced. A total of 10 Tampa-based Mongols were arrested in January in connection with a gang killing in Colorado. Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca speaks during a news conference in 2008 with the trademarked Mongols logo seen on a motorcycle at right. At that point, the motorcycle had only just come into existence, proving that, as motorbikeonly.com notes, for as long as theres been motorized two-wheel machines on the roads, thereve been people who want to associate themselves with the unique sense of camaraderie they offer. Carter went on to tell prosecutors he does not want their witnesses to use the words "to the best of my recollection.". Regardless of their colors, their patch, their motorcycle preferences, or their choice of activities, all motorcycle clubs, from the Mongols to the Pagans, the Iron Order Motorcycle Club to the Christian Motorcyclists Association, have their foundations in the same place the original MC, The Motorcycle Club. positioned and primarily active in the Pacific states and Southwest of the United States. However, it's also made some inroads nationwide and abroad. [34], Local daily newspaper Klnische Rundschau reports that a further German Mongols chapter has become active in Cologne, which is a traditional Hells Angels area. According to sources listed above, the mongols would distribute (sell) drugs and also transport them to various locations, depending where they travel. The Mongols MC patches Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. Officer Diamond died at dawn, October 29, 2014, at Huntington Memorial Hospital. [3][4][5][6], Mongols members have a long history in the illegal drugs trade (especially methamphetamine), money laundering, robbery, extortion, firearms violations, murder, and assault, among other crimes. ", RELATED: Mongols Motorcycle Club vows to fight trademark loss. "I was literally trying to destroy him," she answered, adding that she didn't understand what he was talking about in relation to Ciccone. Life in prison with a mandatory minimum sentence of life for kidnapping and murder, and seven years for the firearms offense to be served consecutive to all other sentences. A federal jury convicted six Tennessee men Friday for racketeering conspiracy and other charges involving murder, kidnapping, drug trafficking, and other crimes, all stemming from their involvement with the Clarksville chapter of the Mongols Motorcycle Club (Clarksville Mongols). However, Annie testified this week, saying she only did it to get back at her husband for cheating. Clan members do not have motorcycle licences and drive around the city in cars. You can't just be a deadbeat and enjoy this brotherhood. Despite their small numbers, they cut a swathe through their enemies something the Mongols have paid homage to with their motto of Quantity, not Quality.. Members and associates of the Clarksville Mongols engaged in a host of violent criminal activities, including murder, attempted murder, assault, kidnapping, robbery, extortion, witness tampering, money laundering, interstate travel in aid of racketeering, and large-scale drug trafficking. David Santillan, the president of the Mongols, was ousted by the group after a video surfaced that implied he was being protected by a federal agent.CreditMichael Tyrone Delaney for The New York Times. As with other motorcycle clubs, members of the Mongols value the patches they wear on their jackets and vests that announce their membership as well as indicate the rider's rank and achievements within the organization, as reported by Hot Cars. "It was an improper line of communication, particularly for a law enforcement personnel trying to convict an entity of being a criminal organization," Yanny said. A federal judge in California has refused to order the Mongols motorcycle gang to forfeit its trademarked logo. When it comes to safety,, Read More The Five Best Full Face Motorcycle Helmets Money Can BuyContinue, Ducati, A brand well-known for its high-performance and exotic motorbikes, originated from Bologna, Italy. That was all it was about. David Santillan tells Eyewitness News that he was in a "really bad place" when the video was recorded and that he's never been disloyal to the Mongols. The Mongols Motorcycle Club, sometimes called the Mongols Nation or Mongol Brotherhood, is a "one-percenter" outlaw motorcycle club. agent. ", RELATED: Racketeering verdict in OC might force Mongols biker club to lose logo. "Because I needed evidence to show the military that they had someone having an affair with a married man.". #MONGOLSMC #MONGOLS #LILDAVEFor more than two decades, federal law enforcement authorities pursued the Mongols, a notorious motorcycle club whose members had. Two years later, a confrontation between members of the Mongols and rival gang the Hells Angels at the Harrahs Laughlin Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, led to four fatalities on both sides. Methamphetamine is the main drug the Mongols use, and it is also the main reason why they should get caught for spreading it across the U.S. People should be worried of the mongols because they are dangerous. According to local news outlet KTNV Channel 13, the Hells Angels attacked the Mongols members, sending three to the hospital, two of whom suffered from stab wounds. agent who infiltrated three biker clubs. The Mongols Motorcycle Club has solidified its reputation of violence and crime, having been involved in gang wars, drug deals, and human trafficking. Gualtieri said the Mongols, who are based in California, have a strong presence in the Tampa Bay area and conduct a range of criminal activity from prostitution to gun and drug dealing. In the video, Ms. Santillan was talking to her husband on speakerphone when he told her that Mr. Ciccone was retiring. The explosive allegations come after a secretly recorded video surfaced of Santillan talking to his wife about the lead ATF agent on the case -- John Ciccone. In 2002, members of the Mongols and the Hells Angels had a confrontation at the Harrah's Laughlin Casino in Laughlin, Nevada, that left three bikers dead. If youre a rat, youre the scum of the earth, he said in an interview. Pacific Coast Mongols Via Instagram Riding motorcycles with your mates is the very essence of any motorcycle club , it's all good and fun, so long as you don't mix up the biking and comradeship with a spot of . In the second phase of that wide-ranging, eight-week trial, the jury found that the Mongols must give up their rights to the emblem, which is emblazoned on the vests, T-shirts and motorcycles of hundreds of members.